He figured that had her word enough that she would make efforts not to strain the little trust he had in her. There were few who lived to betray his trust, limited though it was. He actually surprised himself in realizing that he was capable of trusting, that the weeks in isolation and anger and confusion had broken through a little of the conditioning that made him relatively nothing but an object to be commanded. "I... accept your terms," he finally said softly, nodding his head.

Pain was a part of him, and he didn't fear it. His flesh might have feared it, might have remembered it well and shivered or trembled, but he thought it a purely physical reaction. He simply accepted pain, screamed it out when he had to and went back to being what he was supposed to be. The fact she might not want him in pain confused him. It was part of his life.

"Pain loosens up things that have no place in my training," he said slowly, tasting the words. He felt... angry about it though, and that had never happened before. Why was he angry? "You don't know that for certain either. These people who observe me will make a decision on me and inflict what they need to in order to keep me molded a certain way."